‘Transformers: Age of Extinction’ Character Guide

Published 8 months ago
by
Paul Young
, Updated June 27th, 2014 at 8:55 am,

When director Michael Bay said he was done making giant-alien-robots-from-space movies after Transformers: Dark of the Moon, we combed through the trilogy of films to generate the most complete Transformers Character Guide available. But then Bay changed his mind and made a fourth film anyway – meaning, our guide isn’t so complete anymore.

Rather than add to our original list, we decided to create a whole new list for what will likely be a new trilogy – beginning with Transformers: Age of Extinction. We’ve divided this list into three main categories – Autobots, Decepticons and Dinobots – have included images of each (from the movie when possible), as well as brief descriptions.

****WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS****

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Autobots

Optimus Prime

Voice Actor: Peter Cullen

Optimus Prime is the wise and formidable leader of the Autobots. He called his comrades to Earth to help protect humans from the onslaught of Decpticons; however, the human population turned on all Transformers, so the Autobots went into hiding.

In the early stages of the fourth film, Optimus is a rusty, beat up, Marmon cab-over truck, but later he takes the form of a Western Star 4900 custom semi-truck. Once he has broken in the Dinobot known as Grimlock, he’ll ride on his back in an effort to defeat the Decepticons – and a new type of enemy, as well.

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Bumblebee

Voice Actor: None

From the beginning, Bumblebee has been one of Optimus Prime’s most loyal lieutenants and a sworn protector of the human race. Even though his voice module was damaged beyond repair, Bee still manages to communicate effectively using his radio to play various songs and soundbites that relate to the situation at hand.

He alternates forms in the movie, starting as a 1967 Chevrolet Camaro but later becoming a sleek and shiny 2014 Camaro. In robot mode, he’ll be carried by the aerial Dinobot, Strafe.

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Ratchet

Voice Actor: Robert Foxworth

While Ratchet is a valuable member of the Autobot team (he serves as their medic), he’s not a fighter by naturet. Instead, he chooses to be on their side because he feels only the Autobots truly have a chance at achieving peace – the only thing he really cares about.

Further enhancing his peace-loving and medic ways, he takes the form of a 2004 Hummer H2 ambulance.

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Hound

Voice Actor: John Goodman

Hound is new to the Transformers movie franchise and makes his debut appearance in Transformers: Age of Extinction. In the comics and animated series, Hound is a gentle being who loves calling Earth his home and he often explores all its beautiful places as an Autobot

The cartoon version was a Jeep-turned-robot with a shoulder-mounted rocket and the ability to project holograms; in the film, he is more of a heavy artillery gunner with a robotic beard and penchant for biting on bullets like they’re cigars. His alternate form is a Oshkosh Defense Medium Tactical Vehicle.

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Crosshairs

Voice Actor: John DiMaggio

The animated version of Crosshairs is the Autobots weapon master – meaning his appearance in Age of Extinction makes sense, since the Autobots’ last weapons specialist, Iron Hide, was killed by the turncoat Sentinel Prime. Crosshairs isn’t a fan of Earth, and given his way, would leave it behind and not look back.

Crosshairs’ alternate form is that of a 2014 Chevrolet C7 Corvette Stingray, and he saddles up on the Dinobot called Scorn.

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Drift

Voice Actor: Ken Watanabe

In the comics, Drift was once known as the Decepticon Deadlock, but then he converted to the Autobots team. In the film, he’s a meditative Samurai who’s skill with deadly “spark swords” is virtually unrivaled.

When Drift isn’t flying above the city disguised as a helicopter, he likes to “drift” through the streets in his alternate form of a 2013 Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse. His Dinobot companion is Slug.

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Brains

Voice Actor: Reno Wilson

Like Drift, Brains was once a member of the Decepticons – specifically, a data-gathering drone for Soundwave – but after seeing the error of his ways (or perhaps he was just tired of being bossed around) he switch sides and became an Autobot. In this film, he is captive of humans looking to crack to the Transformer genome.

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marcel 8 months ago

Brains doesn’t turn into a laptop, he turns into a RC truck. Look at his form, since when do laptops have tires?
You do make a good point about one character though: Turning hte almost pacifistic Hound into a multiple gun wielding trigger happy cigar chewing brawler was a bad decision.
For me the worst 2 parts were Optimus basically fixing himself after they pass that white truck and he scans it when he mentioned less then 10 minutes before he needed to find other autobots to fix him, and at the end when he without any of the extra addons from either his trailer or BlackBird flys off into space. If he could fly, why was he always falling off buildings aand over passes?
Also wasn’t the pterodactyl Dinobot good enough? why change him to an alien 2 headed and 2 tailed beast and change his name? Wasn’t it Swoop in the comics/toons and now it’s Strafe? And why does grim lock have horns when he’s supposed to be a Trex, not a Dragon?

Wheelie is the one who transforms into a RC monster truck, Brains was only seen transforming once in TF3 and into a Laptop, but the tires could indicate that he is a double changer like Drift or changed his alt mode since the last film.

No Wheelie is the rc truck … Brains (as which we are discussing) is the laptop that find the missing Russian Cosmonauts in the dark of the moon quote he says as tranforming from a laptop to a robot “Hey, I’m smoking over here! Downloading missing Russian cosmonauts. Turns out, the Soviets cancelled a manned mission to the moon. The moon! In 1972. Then two of the cosmonauts went into hiding in America. And I just found them alive!…..”

I’m a big fan of Transformers, but I must admit that i am with this fourth part pretty disappointed! First, I do not like in this sequel to the manner in which the new Decepticon transformed! Exactly,the old way of transformation, and that is the only genuine, that it is a classic transformation Transformers (Autobots and Deseptikons) is something unique and something that adorns Transformerse.To one of their main features and it shouldnt be changed…it have to be original transformation!!! Another thing I did not like is the design of Dinobots, especially their design in the form of a robot … too ordinary! Third thing that I do not like is that Michael Bay thrown away from original Dinobots two caracters…Sludge(Apatosaurus) and Snarl(Stegosaur)and instead are inserted makes me Plesosaurus and some predator,why? And I do not understand why Swoop(Pterodactil) got two heads(stupid)?
Last thing might be a habit with the previous cast … though I love Mark Walberg … I still think that the previous team had more quality actors … from which everyone had a touch of humor and with that they put a film to a higher level!
Michael Bay…do not change the original story and main staf from the TRANSFORMERS!!!